1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a parcel tracing system, a parcel tracing method and program which retrieve the current position of a parcel in distribution by attaching a radio IC tag. More particularly, the present invention relates to a parcel training system, a parcel tracing method and program which retrieve the current position of a parcel in distribution by acquiring information about a radio IC tag through access via the internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional distribution system such as a door-to-door trucking service system, a pickup operator receives parcels from clients or agents to collect the received parcels at a cargo collecting center, where the parcels are sorted out and inspected. If the destination is within the same distribution area as the pickup area, the parcel is transferred to a distribution center. After carrying out a shipping operation and storing the parcel in a warehouse, the parcel is paid out from the warehouse for example on the following day and is transferred on a distribution truck to the destination for delivery service.
If the destination is a distant location, parcels for the same destination are gathered in a departure base of the location from the pickup center. The parcels are loaded on a working truck in the night, and transported through expressways to the arrival base of the destination. The parcels are then sent from the arrival base to a distribution center controlling the destination to store the same in a warehouse. Then, on the following day, the parcels are issued from the warehouse of the distribution center, and transferred to the destination on a distribution truck for delivery.
In such a parcel distribution system, regarding the distribution route from receipt of a parcel to the delivery thereof at the place of destination, for each of the operating locations including pickup, issue from warehouse and hauling, data such as slip numbers attached to parcels are read out and stored. When a parcel tracing request is received from a client, parcel tracing service of retrieving the current position of the parcel and notifying the same is provided by checking the stored data.
More recently, there has been proposed a system of filling a radio IC tag attached to the parcel in place of the slip with slip information, reading out the radio IC tag of the parcel by means of a reader/writer device installed at a route base through which the parcel passes on the distribution route, storing the read data as control data, and using the data for parcel tracing service.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-169879
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent application Publication No. 2004-026407
However, the conventional parcel tracing service has a problem in that it takes too much time from the receipt of a parcel tracing request from a client to sending a response of the result thereof. This is attributable to the conventional parcel tracing service in which, upon receipt of an inquiry by telephone from the client, a person in charge confirms the slip No., and retrieves the current position of the parcel through retrieval operation of stored data for each of a plurality of route bases including a pickup center, a departure base, a service operator, an arrival base, a distribution center, and a distribution Even for a single route base, there are a plurality of operating locations including arrival, sorting and loading of parcels, and it is necessary to perform retrieving operation of database for each of these operating locations. It takes therefore a time of about half a day from request to a notice of a the result of retrieval, and this imposes a heavy operational load on the person in charge.